May 2009

Learning to be successful from hobbits

28 May, 2009  4 Comments

Tolkien’s stories are among the most popular of the 20th century. The books have sold millions and Peter Jackson’s recent films won Oscars and grossed millions.

But what has made them so successful? Perhaps because of the strong success factors that Tolkien portrayed in all his characters, for example the Hobbits.

  1. Bullroarer Took, was a brave, strategic-thinking hobbit who successfully led the hobbits against an orc army.

  2. Frodo Baggins fulfilled his vision to travel to Mount Doom to destroy the ring and save Middle Earth.

  3. Peregrin Took’s integrity and loyalty helped to bind the Fellowship together.

  4. Samwise Gamgee, “the stout-hearted”, fearlessly supported Frodo in destroying the ring.

  5. Merry (Meriadoc) Brandybuck, the most intelligent of the hobbits, was the first to understand the dangers they faced.

  6. Bilbo Baggins, in his separate adventure, a bumbler who learns to negotiate between dwarves and elves.

  7. Gerontius Took, a lesser character, lived to be 130 and, following the principles of self-renewal, had twelve children.

What can businesspeople learn from them? By being strategic and visionary, by showing integrity, fearlessness, and understanding, by using negotiation and above all always seeking self-renewal we can be successful.

Don’t forget them, they are the Seven Hobbits of Highly Effective People!

In the doldrums

17 May, 2009  No Comment

What meteorologists call the Intertropical Convergence Zone is known to sailors as the Doldrums.

The trade winds from the southern hemisphere and the northern hemisphere meet near the equator. The winds converge and, for most of the time, produce upward air currents that cancel out the surface winds. Pockets of low-pressure air form that often create hot, humid and very still conditions.

These equatorial conditions became known as the Doldrums by the sailors who travelled through them. The sailing boats, without winds, could become becalmed for weeks at a time.

Coleridge described being becalmed in his Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner:

Day after day, day after day,We stuck, nor breath nor motion;As idle as a painted shipUpon a painted ocean.

This is what Eric Hiscock said in Voyaging Under Sail (1966) about sailing through the Doldrums:

… an experience which every sailor-man ought to have once in his lifetime … But once is enough, and if I ever have to pass through that area of calms, squalls, heat, and rain again, I hope to have an engine of useful power and a plentiful supply of fuel for it.

The sailors of the time before engines found these long periods of inactivity at first monotonous and then despairing as water and food started to run out. Hence, the Doldrums gave its name to periods of stagnation and depression.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the first recorded use of Doldrums is in 1811 with an origin from Old English dol meaning dull or foolish. This may have been preserved in a local English dialect spoken by some of the sailors. The OED also suggests that the ending is perhaps based on tantrum (first recorded 1748), which describes a fit of passionate bad temper. It is more likely to have been based on humdrum (first recorded use in 1553), an older word that describes a sense of monotony and dullness.

How to make money out of swine flu

14 May, 2009  No Comment

It is a public relations technique to promote your product or organization using current events. The swine flu “pandemic” is no different. I started writing this blog a fortnight ago but didn’t post it. However, now the pandemic is quietening down I have revisited it.

Many businesses have used swine flu to promote their products and services. However they must be careful to be sensitive to the situation and not to be seen to capitalizing on people’s fears. Several organizations seemed to be doing just that:

  • There was a Google adwords campaign for Prophecy News Watch connecting us to a bible prophecy site. Google will be there at the end of the world it seems.

  • In the mainstream press the US Humane Society had used swine flu to scare American meat-eaters into vegetarianism by blaming American pork producers, quite wrongly, for the outbreak.

Other businesses were just opportunistic:

  • Latex gloves and surgical masks were marketed as swine flu products

  • Zazzle.com had created a line of marginally humorous T-shirts the best with flying pigs, that is, swine flew

Now with the worst fears of the disease disappearing there are still marketing opportunities for products:

  • one telephone and computer disinfection service offers its product to reduce absenteeism

  • an on-line news service will keep you up to date with the pandemic

  • contingency crisis planning services are available for organizations to manage the impacts of swine flu

  • watch out for anti-bacterial hand washes (swine flu is a virus not a bacteria) and air sterilizers will help you avoid deadly viruses

  • the US Food and Drug Administration has warned one company for offering a “SilverCure Swine Flu Protection Pack” made-up of toiletries that deposit traces of silver (silver is being claimed as a cure)

The lesson is really about tapping into what is topical with your advertising and PR without being sleazy.

Low budget high success marketing for small business

7 May, 2009  No Comment

Fusion Marketing

Fusion marketing is about combining your marketing efforts with other businesses that share similar clients or have products or services that complement each other.

It is about forming strategic marketing alliances to share costs, resources or customers.

Guerilla marketing

Guerrilla marketing is the use of unconventional or unexpected marketing tactics to get your message across. It is about thinking outside the square.

It may include creating attention-grabbing events in public places, unusual street giveaways of products, stunts, or anything unconventional.

It is about getting maximum results from minimal resources.

Tissue-pack marketing

Tissue pack marketing is an example of guerilla marketing. Japanese companies put their messages and logos on tissues and hand them out on the street. The tissue does not get thrown away. It is used.

Social media marketing

Social media marketing is about joining with or creating an on-line community to generate exposure and build relationships with potential customers of your business.

Common social media marketing tools include Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Try some of these methods. They rely on imagination and effort rather than a big budget.